Better Or Worse Winter 2011/12

I haven't asked this question in a while...Is everything getting better or worse. When I was super small 4 year old Chris (not yet, Kriss) with that short Asian hair split on the side, the world was dealing with poverty and hunger. That OPEC oil stuffs was happening, terrorism and hostages were in the news and the distribution of wealth were all on the table.

We were promised a better tomorrow, after all that is why we were fighting wars back then, even in the 70's. George Orwell's 1984 scenario was NOT going to happen because as a species, humans were becoming enlightened (read "better") and as the world got smaller and smaller, at least the idea was, we would take care of ourselves more and more. Science and medicine were well on their way to eliminating curable diseases and technology was going the way of Star Trek-phasers and communication devices-n-shit like that). Hell, not only were we promised flying cars, but also (at least here in California), but we were promised a super fast train that could take us from San Francisco to L.A. cheaply and in the matter of hours. Again, we really needed that because we were going to solve the problem of dependency on oil and gas, and other countries.

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Well that shit didn't happen. If George Orwell were alive today he would say something like "Dam, now that's a police state (a good example is LA police department using drones to fly above neighborhoods and...do what evah it is they do-surveillance)." The Iran Hostage thingy that Carter had to deal with is just as common if not more common in the news today. We do not have cars that get 50 miles to the gallon, that much less fly and dagnabit...we're still trying to build that train to LA (sheez). Science and medicine did their part but an anti-vaccination movement thwarted those efforts (curable diseases are making a come back. thanks Jenny McCarthy-piece of shit, loser). We now have cell phones and computers and the wonderful Interbutz, but what happened to the humanity. What happened to people talking to eachother in restaurants and cafes?

So, is it getting better or is it getting worse. Time magazine just announced it's Time Magazine Person of the Year Award, and guess what...it's not me. The Protester is the person of the year. It was the dude in Tunisia that protested (unfortunately by lighting himself on fire) which started the Arab Spring (which has toppled governments). The battle between Tibet and China is on the world stage because monks protested (by lighting themselves on fire). The #OWS movement has not cured the discrepancy in wealth distribution, but it certainly is making an impact. It will certainly have an influence on how peeps vote this election. The Voice of the Protester is alive and vibrant. And of course I have to mention Team Atheist. The New Atheists protested the free pass that religion gets, we protested the privilege that religion gets-and look how far we have come.

So...is everything getting better or worse. Shit, I still don't know. What I do know, and I know this because my feelings tell me so, is that The Year Of The Protester is making, and has made the world a better place. Personally, I'm falling apart. The world, as it looks to me, is falling apart. Any yet, I have hope at this moment. What were whispers in the 70's has turned into a mighty roar. hope has a voice and hope will be heard.

I made a joke the other day that what the world needs right now is a Robin Hood type. Maybe that is what the Protesters are, and maybe, just maybe, I was right.

* Article USA Today

* Time Mag